A Eurostar bookings clerk has been acquitted of conspiring to defraud numerous Government agencies, causing losses in the region of £2.8m.

Operation Boromo was an investigation into a sophisticated commercial-scale benefits and immigration fraud, and the largest ever investigation by the DWP. Five defendants pleaded guilty to the conspiracy, which involved the dishonest exploitation of the identities of 399 French nationals to obtain benefits and organise sham marriages. Mr Ayi’ d’Almeida had earlier pleaded guilty to defrauding his employer Eurostar by manipulating ticket prices, causing a notional loss to Eurostar of up to £1m. He was the only defendant to contest his role in the main conspiracy in a trial at Croydon Crown Court.